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victoriaheldt's review against another edition
3.0
Sometimes difficult to follow due to the writing style - especially the first short story.
julziez's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
lkateo's review against another edition
4.0
They say writers notice the things that everyone else overlooks; Eileen Chang perpetually manages to bring these details to life to enrich her stories and create delicate scenes of troubled domesticity.
"They all laughed, but were slightly ill at ease, not certain if they should have laughed or not. Mrs Lou knew that her husband had made a joke, but she didn't really catch what he said, so she laughed the loudest."
"They all laughed, but were slightly ill at ease, not certain if they should have laughed or not. Mrs Lou knew that her husband had made a joke, but she didn't really catch what he said, so she laughed the loudest."
buta_comes_home's review against another edition
3.0
I liked the titular story on balance but I’m not sure what I made of the rest. They’re more like snapshots of a time and place that is long gone now.
nwhyte's review against another edition
3.0
http://nwhyte.livejournal.com/1953224.html
A short collection of short stories about people getting on with their lives, mostly in 1940s Shanghai, while the world changes around them. The title piece, a tale of espionage and seduction, is the most memorable but they are all interesting and well-observed.
A short collection of short stories about people getting on with their lives, mostly in 1940s Shanghai, while the world changes around them. The title piece, a tale of espionage and seduction, is the most memorable but they are all interesting and well-observed.
pourcheresse88's review against another edition
3.0
The book was set in pre-communist China. Whoa, this is new to me.
I can see how people either love this book or were upset with this book, particularly with the ending playing a huge role that people mostly judge. For me, I was neutral on this one. Yes, the ending was THAT predictable, but Chang's way of writing charmed me and blew me away. Even though I read the translated version of this book, it didn't strip away the irresistibly impressive, minimally crafted plot with a sense of tragedy in a dramatic and theatric type of way. Yes, it was predictable, but my heart is also incredibly broken from it.
I can see how people either love this book or were upset with this book, particularly with the ending playing a huge role that people mostly judge. For me, I was neutral on this one. Yes, the ending was THAT predictable, but Chang's way of writing charmed me and blew me away. Even though I read the translated version of this book, it didn't strip away the irresistibly impressive, minimally crafted plot with a sense of tragedy in a dramatic and theatric type of way. Yes, it was predictable, but my heart is also incredibly broken from it.
samrinr's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
pleiadesfall's review against another edition
4.0
all in all, the descriptions and nuances are so vivid they almost jumped out of the book. I think reading in the original language will accentuate the beauty of the writing more but I can't read hanzi so yeah. The translation's great, though. Also, because I've seen the movie I like the movie a little bit better. The movie brought the details from the past alive where in the book it was just a recount of events from Jiazhi's perspective. I understand. It was a short novella so everything's compact.
vanessaglau's review against another edition
5.0
"Eine Frau, die in die Falle eines Mannes ging, war selber schuld, eine Frau, die dem Mann eine Falle stellen wollte, war schamlos; wenn nun aber eine Frau dem Mann diese Falle vergeblich stellte, nur um dann in seine Falle zu tappen, dann war das doppelt frivol. Eine solche Frau war das Messer nicht wert, mit dem man sie tötete." (Liebe in einer gefallenen Stadt)
Eine Meisterin, wunderbar übersetzt.
Eine Meisterin, wunderbar übersetzt.